Delta, a global manufacturer of power management and cooling solutions, and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore today (7) officially launched the “Delta Nanyang Technological Enterprise Advanced Robotics Laboratory”, which is also supported by the National Research Foundation of Singapore’s “Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Initiative” (RIE 2025). The total investment amount exceeded S $24 million. Following on from the joint establishment of the Cyber-Physical Systems Research and Development Center in 2016, the new three-year program will focus on the technology development of the next generation of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), including intelligent grasping, sensing, manipulation, situational awareness, and real-time decision making. It is expected to realize the vision of human-machine collaboration and coexistence in the dynamic environment of urban architecture to meet the challenges of labor shortage. Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Tan Sing-Fai, President of Nanyang Technological University, Mr Edward Ho, Chairman of Delta Electronics, and Director of Delta Research Institute, Mr Nick Que attended the launch ceremony.

Professor Edward Ho, President of NTU, said that the collaboration with Delta not only ensures that NTU’s research is closely linked to industrial applications, but also provides opportunities to bring technological innovation to the benefit of society. This is in line with NTU’s Strategic Vision 2025 to harness the power of digital and advanced technologies to support the discovery of new knowledge and promote better learning and life experiences.

Mr. Hai Yingjun, Chairman of Delta Electronics, said that he was delighted to be able to work with Nanyang Technological again and to receive the support of RIE 2025. Delta leverages the power of technology to provide innovative, energy efficient and integrated solutions in all fields, creating endless possibilities for industrial and commercial applications. By extending the accumulated achievements of intelligent manufacturing in the past to the technology development of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), we believe that the industry-university cooperation model of open innovation can create an opportunity to promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

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DSQC661 3HAC026253-001

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As companies transition to Industry 5.0 and the world faces labor shortages due to an aging population and declining birth rates, collaborative robot systems will be an important boost for businesses. Autonomous mobile robots with artificial touch can operate in a dynamic environment with people coming and going, and can adjust their grasp to pick up a variety of materials, from fragile glassware to volatile chemicals, replacing humans in hazardous environments. It can be used to improve the efficiency of material handling and logistics procedures in industries such as hospital warehouses, residential or commercial buildings and distribution centers.

Professor Kwok Chung Wen, President of the Singapore National Robotics Programme (NRP), said that the NRP is very pleased to see the cooperation between Nanyang Technological and Delta, and expects the programme to build more differentiated robotics capabilities in the fields of manufacturing and logistics, and practice commercialization in Singapore and the region. We hope to see more collaboration between universities and industry, which will help the robot ecosystem continue to grow.

The company has applied for and obtained a number of patents at its previous research and development centre in collaboration with Nanyang Technology, showing the potential to commercialise the technology, said Que Zhike, director of the Delta Research Institute. Among them, such as the 3D projection and positioning of automated guided vehicles (AGV), character tracking and re-identification, and robotic arm control technology and other related patents will serve as a solid foundation to continue to the second phase of the research program, looking forward to closer cooperation between the two sides, and the innovation results will be implemented in the needs of industrial diversification.

Associate Professor Cheng Weiguo, co-director of Delta – Nanyang Technological Enterprise Laboratory, said: Nanyang Technological and Delta have laid a solid foundation in the early cooperation, and will further deepen the partnership through advanced robot technology research and development. The joint research team aims to develop cutting-edge solutions that address real-world challenges in a sustainable way, putting into practice Nanyang Technological’s sustainability framework.

In 2016, Delta – Nanyang Technological cooperation established the Cyber-Physical Systems Research and Development Center, with more than 140 researchers and graduate students, as well as scientists and engineers from Delta Research Center Singapore, focusing on iot technology and intelligent systems to build intelligent manufacturing and intelligent learning technical capabilities. The five-year collaboration has resulted in a number of important results, including 17 patent applications, 8 patents granted, and more than 200 research papers submitted. Projects include a universal intelligent navigation system that allows logistics robots to automatically move goods on the factory floor and learn analytical techniques to improve the learning efficiency of enterprise education systems. These innovative applications were tested in Nanyang Technological’s smart campus and are now being scaled up for wider use in the industry.